Heroes & Masculinity in "The Sun Also Rises"

The theme of masculinity is interesting to explore in this novel.  With Jake, you have a character who questions his masculinity due to the war injury that left him impotent.  He doesn't seem as openly aggressive and hostile as Bill, though, who is more vocal and obvious in his display of typical masculine characteristics such as an intolerance for seemingly weak or homosexual men.  Instead of trying to compensate for his castrating injury by becoming hyper-masculine in other areas, Jake retreats into himself, never opening up about his experience in the war or how his injury has left him feeling.  He goes through the motions of drinking and carousing with everyone else, but he can't enjoy it because the war and his injury have sapped the purpose and excitement out of his life.  While the feelings he's having and certainly the effects of his injury would be viewed by this group of people as feminine, he still handles them in a typically repressed, masculine way.  His feelings toward Romero are also interesting, since he represents more of the classic male hero, who fights bravely against his foe using a specialized set of skills and ends up getting the girl.  When placed next to a figure like this, it has to be extremely difficult for Jake to see him succeed in ways that he wants desperately, but can never achieve.  

Babylon Revisited

I thought today's discussion about Babylon Revisited raised some interesting questions.  One thing in particular that was intriguing to me was whether Charlie was really ready to have Honoria back in his life.  While I think he's on his way, and that it's what he and Honoria both want, I have to say no.  I think he jumped the gun in asking that she come live with him.  The main concern is that he has his drinking under control, and I don't think he's quite there yet.  He says that he has one drink a day so that he won't obsess over it, but I think that if he assumes he'll be obsessing over having a drink if he goes cold turkey, then the problem is still there.  I also think that he needs to find a new place to hang out besides the bar, and start associating with some healthier people.  There are obviously some painful memories in the family's past, and issues that still need working out.  It's understandable that Charlie would want to expedite the process, but that would do more harm then good.  He needs to make sure that Honoria would be coming into a stable environment.  Another thing that I also noticed was how nice Lincoln was about the whole situation.  He really seemed to be rooting for Charlie, and he seems like a good person for him to have around on his road to recovery.  The parallels between the Charlie and Helen and Fitzgerald and Zelda are yet another compelling element to the story, and they give a heartbreaking insight into Fitzgerald's troubles.